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Gran Turismo 3 for the Sony PlayStation 2 is the ultimate driving game for the serious racing enthusiast. No other series of games lets players control every aspect of what goes into becoming the best driver in the world. Earn your credentials by completing racing tests to qualify for big competitions. Start your career with a dumpy car, and earn enough money racing to drive a professional-grade vehicle. Some brands of cars include Audi, BMW, Chrysler, and Ford. Customize each car with a souped-up engine, suspension, transmission, and tires for the best performance on over 60 racing circuits. Play arcade mode to skip building up your career, and get into the seat of one of the fastest cars in the world immediately.

When I think of GT3, the words "much hyped," "highly anticipated," and "killer app" immediately spring to mind. Let's face it, unless you're a PlayStation 2 owner who has a really, really, really deep-down hatred for racing games, GT3 is the most important release yet for Sony's l'il black box.
Sure, there have been some really good releases on the system already, but GT3 pushes PS2 software to new heights. Graphically, it's a marvel. Super-smooth, incredibly detailed and stunningly lifelike, GT3 raises the graphics bar several notches beyond any racing game we've ever seen before, inside or outside of a videogame arcade. Phenomenal object modeling is combined with amazing attention to detail and astounding lighting to deliver a simply incredible racing experience. The way the sun bounces off the road as you turn corners and glints off the metal and glass surfaces of the cars completely fools your eyes into believing they're watching real cars drive around real tracks. The shadows and lighting are used to really bring the environment to life and make it look more solid, more visceral and more realistic than any other race game.
Sound too is amazing. You can really hear the difference in the car engines, from the low rumble of a big-block monster like the AC Cobra to the tortured scream of the high-revving S2000, each car plays its own music. The sound effects are also that much clearer and more detailed, and combine beautifully with the graphics to deliver a simply stunning experience. The game's soundtrack boasts some all-new tunes for the American version including selections from big-named artists like Snoop Dogg, plus a few tracks carried over from the Japanese release. There's a lot of variety here, so regardless of your tastes, you should be able to find something that you like and since the game allows you to select the exact music tracks that you wish to hear, you'll never have to listen to anything that you don't want to.
And the gameplay? Well, it goes without saying that once again, Polyphony has come up with the goods. Indeed, while it may be disappointing to some that GT3's car count is less than a third of GT2, it nevertheless packs a far, far greater racing challenge than its predecessors did. GT3 features 60 beginner, amateur and professional championship races, as well as 10 rally races and 10 endurance races. And some of those Championships are huge, featuring 10 different races, each requiring the player to complete anywhere between 20-78 laps. This is not a game you will complete overnight. Indeed, GT3 packs such a huge challenge that if you're serious about completing the game, you will be required to put in a serious amount of time and effort to do so. Sony has made the game's progression a little easier in the beginning of the American version by upping the credits that you start off with and giving out more prize money in the Beginner and some Amateur races, but it's still going to take you quite a bit of time and effort to make it through this gem.
The racing is more varied than before. There are a lot more manufacturers races this time around, ranging the Silver Arrow Mercedes-only challenge and the Toyota Vitz Challenge through Beetle Cup Racing to the Type R meeting and Evolution Challenge. The '80s car races are back, as well as a slew of specific challenges, such as British GT car racing, roadster races and all the usual FF, AWD, FR, NA and Turbo car races. And best of all, GT3 has an F1 Championship.Read full review